Deck of playing cards and holder therefor



April 19.53 E. H. FREEDMAN 2,634,132

DECK OF PLAYING CARDS AND HOLDER THEREFOR Filed Oct. 19, 1949 I N VEN TOR.

Y Al'fOk/YEYS Patented Apr. 7, 1953 OFFICE DECKOF PLAYING CARDS AND HOLDER THEREFOR Edward H. Freedman, White Plains, N. Y. Application October 19, 1949, Serial No. 122,183

3 Claims. (Cl. -273-148) This invention relates to games and more particularly to card games. 7

The general object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved game of the class described which will not only furnish amusement and entertainment for both young people and adults but will also provide a means of instruction in the elements of drawing and design.

In its preferred embodiment, the invention contemplates the provision of a deck of cards, each 'cardbeing made or a suitable thin transparent material of either natural or synthetic origin. The deck may be divided into any desired number of suits or sequences of cards, and there may be any reasonable number of cards in each of such'sequences or groups, say from three to seven or more. The cards of each group bear fragmentary or partial sketches or drawings of familiar objectssuch as, for example, animals, toys, or household furniture and equipment. The

fragments of these drawingswhich appear on the separate cardsof the suit or sequence are such that when all of the transparent cards of "the suit are superposed in any random order or sequence, the complete drawing of the object will appear.

For playing certain games, the cards of a suit may be given numbers indicative of their rank, or on the other hand, each card may be marked forholding the hand, the rack not only providing an opaquebacking forconcealing the cards from view by the other players, but preferably also bearing replicas of all of the complete drawings or sketches which may be built up from the partial representations on the cards of the several suits or groups;

Other objects and features of novelty will be apparent from the following specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example.

In the drawings: i

Figure l is a plan View of a group or suit of superposed transparent cards, the fragmentary designs on each individual card making up the whole drawing or sketch of the particular subject;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view in perspective of the series of individual transparent playing cards which go to make up a suit or meld; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of an opaque card-holding rack within which a player may deposit 'has hand for ready reference and con-v cealment from inspection by the other players.

It will be obvious from the following description that the illustrated embodiment may be modified and adapted in various ways for the playing of a number of different games, while at the same time suggesting methods of synthesis and analysis of drawings or sketches of familiar objects. In the illustrated embodiment the equipment is designed particularly for use in playing games of the rummy type, for example, gin rummy, canasta, etc. 7

As indicated in Figure 3 of the drawings, there are four cards I 0, I I, I2 and I3 to a group and each card is made of transparent material such as cellulose or other acetates, acrylic resins, or any other transparent plastic material which possesses the durability expected of 'a playing card, when made in the approximate range of thickness of such cards. Each card, if desired, may be provided with an opaque margin I5 represented by the stippled portion in the drawings and which may comprise ink, dye, paint, or any other coloring material.

Each of the cards bears a fragmentary or incomplete image or representation of a portion 01' some familiar object. For example, in the group or suit of cards shown in Figures land 3 the ultimate article or object is a coiiee maker which is indicated at 20 in the assembled group of cards in Figure 1. Thus, card In bears a partial representation ofthe article comprised of two ovals representing the upper margins of the respective bowls or receptacles of the coifee maker; card I l contains the representation 22 of the base portions of the cofiee maker; card l2 bears a-representation of the upper bowl together with the handle for the lower bowl, all indicated at 23; and card 13 carries the remainder of the sketch comprising a greater portion of the lower bow as shown at 24.

When all four cards are superimposed as in Figures 1 and 2 the entire drawing 20 representing the complete coffee maker may be readily seen. It will be understood from the drawings and description herein that the complete image is equally visible from the front or rear side of the stack of cards, and this is seen to be true regardless of the order or sequence of cards. Although the drawings or sketches applied to the cards may be either in solid areas or in line drawings, just so the respective fragmentary or partial representations are out of registry (except possibly for some overlapping duplication of outline), line drawings such as indicated in the accompanying figures are preferred since they are more readily susceptible of combining additively without obliteration of underlying delineations. i

If desired, other indicia may be applied to the cards, for example, numerals indicating thescoring valueof the several cards may be, imprinted thereon as indicated at 25, these numerals being sta gered or out of registry so that theyall may be seen and added up when the group of cards .is placed together as in Figure l.

--:Q:I ;drawings of moreaor less complicated familiar ticle's and thus there may be inculcated in them =anappreciation and a skill in artistic "fields.

Since the cards are of transparent material, the various hands would be exposed to'the other players if held in the same way as ordinary opaque playing cards.- Therefore, the invention also contemplates the provision of a rack139 illustrated 'in Fignre 40f the drawings in which one or more brackets, trays, or slots 32 may be provided for receiving the several cards'of the hand. The main board or panel 33 of the rack is, of course, made of some opaque material and may "be supported'in a vertical or slightly inclined position by means of the endflanges 'or braces, one :of which is illustratediat 35 in the drawings. Be- :sides 'suppbrtingthe cards in a position where theycannot be observed by the opposing :players, the rack may include drawings of the completed objects which may be attained by the combination of'theseveral cards of the various suits. A representative showing of these articles is suggested at '36 in Figure :4.

It is understood'that various changes and modifications maybemade in the embodiment illus- *strated and described herein, both withirespect to the materials of construction and physical appearance, and the method of play suggested, without departing from the scope of the inven- --tion as defined by the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is "claimed as new and desired to-be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Physical equipment for use in card games to be played .by two or more playerasaid equip- ;ment including-an erect cardrack adapted to be disposed 'sotas to'iace'the player using 'it and to Thave its rear side directed generally toward the other playersgsaid rack comprisin an opaque backing and means on the front thereof for receiving and displaying the cards constituting the 'handof the player; a plurality of cards contained in said means, said cards being those of several suits, each card comprising a rectangular sheet :of transparent material of an area, a configuration, a thickness, and a stifiness usual in the case of conventional cardboard playing cards, so as to be readily shuffled, dealt, and handled in the customary manner; and each card of a suit bearing an opaque partial line drawing of a 'ialn liar object, the partial line drawings on the several cards comprising a suit visually combining to display a completed drawing of the object when said cards are superimposed in any order or sequence and whether viewed from the 'front or rear; and specimen representations of all of the completed drawings belonging to the various suits involved in the game carried upon saidrack.

Physical equipment for use in card games,

said equipment comprising a deck of playing cards, said deck comprising a plurality of suits, each of said suits when assembled being identified and distinguished by a pictorial representation peculiar to itself; the individual card of a given suit each comprising a rectangular sheet of transparent material of an area, a configura- "tion, a thickness, and a stifiness usual in the case of conventional cardboard playing cards, so as to be readily shufiied, dealt, and handled in the customary manner; and opaque lines of coating material applied to each card and distributed thereon so as to form line drawings comprising a difiiculty identifiable "fragmentary part of said pictorial representation, the line drawings 'occupying different corresponding areas on the severalcards of the difierent suits; all of'the line drawingawhen the cards of a suit are evenly and conterminously superimposed-manyorder or sequence, combining visually, without substantial alteration by the drawings on superposed cards, to depict within the rectangular confines of the .thus combined cards of the .suit the whole piccards, said deck comprising a plurality of suits, each of said suits when assembled being identified by a-pictorial representation of a difierent object, the individual cards of agiven suit each comprising a rectangular sheet of transparent material of an area, a configuration, a thickness, and a stifiness usualin the case of conventional cardboard playing cards, so as to be readily shuffled, dealt, and handled ,in the customary manner; andopaque lines of coating .materialapplied toeach card and distributed thereon so as to form line drawings comprising a diflicultly identifiable fragmentary representation of said object, the line drawings occupying different corresponding areas .on the several cards of a given suit; .all of thelinedrawings, when the cards of a suit aresuperimposedin any order or sequence, combining visually without substantial alteration by superimposed drawings, to depict the whole object representativeof its particularsuit, each card bearing a scoring indicium, the indicia on theindividual cards .of each suitbeingofiset one from the other, whereby when the suit is'assembled with the cards insuperimposed position the .indicia appear in alignment .for ready calculation of the .score.

EDWARD H. FREEDMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 942,667 Smith Dec. 7, 1909 1,273,864 Johnson July 30, 1918 1,684,813 Ward Sept. 18, 1928 1,749,653 Winter Mar. 4, 1930 1,987,496 Springborn .Jan. 8, 1935 1,991,468 Schoolfleld Feb. 19, 1935 2,149,779 Kroner Mar. 7, 1939 2,162,946 Garrison June 20, 1939 2,556,798 Concordet June .12, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 407,580 France Jan. 4, 1910 

